Old, is a place of great antiquity. In 1004, Malcolm II. founded a bishopric at a place called Morthach in Banffshire, in memory of a signal victory which he there gained over the Danes; which bishopric was translated to Old Aberdeen by David I.; and in 1153, the then bishop of Aberdeen obtained a new charter from Malcolm IV. The town lies about a mile to the north of the New Town, near the mouth of the river Don, which is spanned by a fine Gothic bridge, of a single arch, resting on a rock on each This arch, said to have been built by a bishop of Aberdeen about the beginning of the 14th century, is 67 feet wide, and 344 feet high above the surface of the river, which at ebb tide is here 19 feet deep. The town, which consists chiefly of one long street, was formerly the see of a bishop, and had a large cathedral dedicated to St Machar. The only remains of it are two lofty spires, and the nave, which is in a state of complete repair, and used as a church. The present cathedral, the third from the original translation of the see, was commenced about the end of the 14th century, and required 150 years for its completion, but did not remain entire above one-third of that time. It was greatly injured in the Reformation; and Cromwell's troops, time, and storms, did the rest. What remains is the oldest part, and is built chiefly of granite (out-layer), a remarkable, if not, as is most probable, a unique circumstance for its age.

The principal structure is the King's College, on the south side of the town, which is a large and stately fabric. It is built in form of a square, with cloisters on the south side. In the chapel, which has been thoroughly repaired, and is used for public worship during session, there still remain the original fittings of the choir, of most tasteful design, and executed with a precision and delicacy not surpassed by the oak-carving of any ancient church in Europe. This was preserved by the spirit of the Principal at the time of the Reformation, who armed his people, and checked the blind zeal of the barons of the Mearns, when, after stripping the cathedral of its roof, and robbing it of the bells, they were about to violate this seat of learning. The steeple is vaulted with a double cross arch; above which is an imperial crown, supported by eight stone pillars, and closed with a globe and two gilded crosses. In the year 1631, this steeple was thrown down by a storm, but was soon after rebuilt, in a style resembling that of the cathedrals of Edinburgh and Vienna.

This college was founded in 1494, by William Elphinstone, bishop of Aberdeen, lord chancellor of Scotland in the reign of James III., and lord privy seal in that of James IV.; but James IV. claimed the patronage of it, and it has since been called the King's College. The library is considerable, and now contains upwards of 50,000 volumes. Hector Boethius was the first principal of the college, and was invited from Paris for that purpose, on an annual salary of forty merks Scots, L2. 3s. 4d. sterling. The professorships are Divinity, Medicine, Civil Law, Moral Philosophy, Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Greek, Humanity, and Oriental Languages. There are numerous bursaries, of which about thirty are bestowed annually by public competition, various patrons presenting to the rest, being in all about forty. (See Marischal College, in next Article.) The yearly amount of bursaries and prizes is about L2000. The number of students, both at King's College and at Marischal College, but particularly the former, has been increasing of late years. In 1852, the number who graduated in arts at King's College was 35; in medicine 24; and in divinity 2. Pop. in 1853, about 2000.